I'm Making a Note Here: Huge Success.

Well, the title's song is way too over-quoted.
But I'm feeling really good today, for whatever reason, so because of this happiness, it seemed appropriate. 
How is everyone feeling? If you need some happiness, I will be happy to share with you some of mine. Perhaps it's caused by lack of sleep, but whatever it is is all right with me.


Time for the weekly re-cap! 
Friday was spent with more time for self-reflection, as well as a trip to the park with an aquaintance of mine, and I got some lovely photos from it. I may go there a little more often, once it stops raining so much. 

Swans!

I can't seem to get away from azaleas. They were everywhere when they were blooming in massive amounts.

One of the pathways that there was. It wasn't the biggest park ever, but it was spacious and comfortable.

And there weren't many people there yet, so that was nice, too.

I really liked that tree.

... Yes.

There was a hilltop with some very lovely rocks and such, but I didn't get a photo of the hilltop itself. Oh, well. Perhaps later?

Lily pond!

~

I thought it was happy-looking.

After that, I headed back home and took a short nap before my friend came and woke me up to sit and talk about any and everything. It was fine, though, as I had expected her prior to. Afterwards, she left for a short while just before inviting me over to eat dinner with her and a few others, after which Mario Kart was played and much trash was jokingly talked. It was a good night, but I went back to my room at about 12:30AM so that I might be able to wake up in the morning to talk with my family. 


Saturday, I briefly went to Yokohama to catch up with a friend after he went to the cinema. Initially, I had been planning on going with him and another friend to the film, as well, but due to some difficulties, both the second friend and I had to back out.
I had almost been able to make the film, but just as I pulled into Sakuragi-cho, the film was likely beginning. I found myself, then, with an hour and a half to kill and an empty stomach. I was still a little gloomy at this point, so I decided to treat myself to a special lunch at a ridiculously overpriced [but good] Friday's restaurant, the same TGIF as the one in the states. To be employed in the TGIF's in Japan, I believe one must be bilingual in both Japanese and English. It was lovely, though, to be in a place that felt a bit familiar. Helped me quite nicely to cope with my homesickness. 
After eating lunch as slowly as possible, I went to Starbucks and spent the rest of my time sitting out on the Starbucks patio, text messaging a friend, and watching it rain. 

This was a nearby hair salon.

I don't know that I ever want to go, unless it becomes a bakery.

Even then, I might be a little bit apprehensive.

Eventually, though, my friend got out, and we went to my main reason for going: there's a PokéMon Centre in Yokohama. 

A store devoted to PokéMon. My life is nearly complete.

I wound up spending a bit too much money, as I fully expected in a place such as this. I bought myself a coffee mug and t-shirt, as well as a bunch of small charms for me and a few others. Fortunately I had enough money to get back home, but after that, I was broke. Glad I've been so frugal up to this point, though. After that, my friend and I went past a Shounen Jump store, which is a store based off of comic series' in the Shounen Jump comic book magazine. It was interesting, but as I have no favourite series' in it, there was nothing I felt compelled to purchase. 


Oh, here are some really nice views from Yokohama. It was cloudy, so it kind of seems a little dreary, but regardless. 

The Nipponmaru.

One of the more famous ships around here, if I'm not mistaken.

You can see the Ferris Wheel in the background. I've been there. Yay~

A different angle.

I loved the clouds in this one.

Just the Ferris Wheel. I enjoy looking at it.

Sunday I kept to myself. Let me think... Have I done much this week..? 
Monday I slept a lot--there's been a change in the weather, and it's been very abrupt, so I haven't quite adjusted yet, and it makes it a little difficult to sleep at night sometimes, although I have no difficulties with napping, for whatever reason. Monday I napped and went to the grocery store. 


Yesterday was a blast, though. I was invited to a rather impromptu curry party, to which I almost didn't go. At the last moment, though, I decided to be social and went up. I'm really happy I did; I had a very good time, and made some new friends. Hopefully they'll last. I'm going to do my best, because they all seemed like very interesting and exciting people.
However, last night, I could not sleep. At the moment, I've been going all day on perhaps about three or four hours of sleep. It's been difficult, but today was full of serendipity, so it must have been meant to be. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as pleasant. 


Any money saving tips this week?
- Just, primarily, an emphasis on what I've talked about before: Make friends.
- I had expected to pay for part of the curry last night, but no one let me. It was a very generous expression, and I am grateful, but I am also selfishly happy because of the money it saved me. 
- Pay attention to sales--I even saved a little bit of money at the PokéMon Centre. There were a few discounted items and some sales going on, such as a "buy x amount, get 10% off" on some items. It was very exciting for me, and no matter where your interests lie, there are bound to be some sales that you can find. 
- Hang dry your laundry if at all possible! I did the math, recently, as best I could. I've saved at least 4,000 yen now. That hanger I bought has paid for itself ten times. 
- Look for substitutes. For example, fruits in Japan are relatively expensive. A single canteloupe will run a person somewhere around $12-15, or more, depending on the season. However! Cucumbers are cheap. You know what else is cheap? Honey. Mix the two together, and you get something with a mildly melon taste. Substitutes might not be the best ever, but it suffices.
- My pepper plant grew one pepper so far, and has many more promising blooms. If you can, perhaps try growing something like growing your own peppers or tomatoes or whatever fruits or vegetables you like that can be grown in a pot.


That's all for now, though. I'm sorry for the abrupt-ness of it, but I'm very tired.
Have a good week, guys~!

-RD